Etymology: In Old English < classical Latin portus (see below). In Middle English reinforced by or reborrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French port (French port ) harbour, haven (c1050; also in figurative use, especially in such phrases as estre a mal port to be in a desperate situation (c1165), a bon port happily (c1280), and frequently in religious contexts), town situated near to or around a harbour (1100; compare port de la mer town situated on the coast and affording shelter to ships (1140)) < classical Latin portus harbour, haven, refuge, mouth of a river, in post-classical Latin also merchants' settlement, trading town (7th cent.) < the same Indo-European base as ford n.¹ Compare Old Occitan, Occitan port (c1070), Catalan port (13th cent.), Spanish puerto (1085), Portuguese porto (10th cent.), Italian porto (13th cent.), and also Middle Dutch port, Middle High German port, porte.The word is barely attested in the early Middle English period. It is uncertain whether place names (in which the word may be either attributive or in the genitive) show continuing awareness of the element as an independent word, as all place names showing this word in this period are apparently already attested in the Old English period. In sense 3a apparently attested earlier in place names, as Port (c900; now Isle of Portland, Dorset), (æt) Portlocan (first half of the 10th cent.; now Porlock, Somerset), although it is sometimes difficult to distinguish from port n.² or from the Old English personal name Port . With the five ports (see sense 2) compare Cinque Ports n. In branch II. after Old French, Middle French, French port (1100; in Old French also pors ) and Old Occitan, Occitan port (a1149), probably both ultimately < post-classical Latin portus (9th cent.), probably a specific (local) use of plural of classical Latin portus haven, harbour, perhaps originally in sense ‘recesses of the mountains’ (although see Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico (1981) at puerto for an alternative etymology of the Romance words in this sense as showing an independent word derived from a word in an Indo-European substratal language ultimately from the same Indo-European base as classical Latin portus ). Compare Catalan port (12th cent.), Spanish puerto (1240–50), Portuguese porto mountain pass. With the possible semantic development compare cove n.¹ 3, 4. With ports of Spain (see quot. c1275 at sense 5) compare Old French porz d'Espaigne (1100 in Chanson de Roland), post-classical Latin Hispani portus (13th cent.), Pyrenaei portus (9th cent.). Compare poort n.

Etymology: Probably a specific sense development of port n.¹, perhaps by association with port n.³ Compare Middle Dutch port (occasionally also porte ) in the same sense (apparently spec. denoting a town or city with fewer legal privileges than a stat ), apparently a sense development of port port n.¹, perhaps by association with porte (also port , poort ) port n.³ Although the Old English and Middle Dutch words differ in gender (all of the words concerned being masculine in Old English but feminine in Middle Dutch), it would seem likely that the same development has occurred in each language.With the sense development perhaps compare also the definition of Latin portus port n.¹ in the Digest (533) 50. 16 ( De verb. signif.) 59 ‘Portus appellatus est conclusus locus, quo importantur merces et inde exportantur; eaque nihilo minus statio est conclusa atque munita’ ‘portus is the word for an enclosed place, to which merchandise is brought in and from which it is brought out; it is also the word for an enclosed and fortified anchorage’. In Old English identified with burg as a rendering of classical Latin cīvitās (compare quot. OE¹ at main sense), and, like ‘town’, contrasted with upland ‘country’ (compare quot. lOE at main sense). Compare Old English portmann used to gloss classical Latin cīvis (see quot. OE² at portman n.¹), and also Old English portwer romanisc, glossing classical Latin cīvis Romānus. In Old English a rare weak noun porta or porte (of uncertain gender) is also attested.

Etymology: In Old English < classical Latin porta (see below). In Middle English reinforced by or reborrowed from Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French porte (French porte ) gate (of a town or city) (10th cent.), gateway, doorway, door (12th cent.) and its etymon classical Latin porta gate, opening, outlet < portāre port v.²Compare Old Frisian porte, Middle Dutch porte, poorte, poort, port (Dutch poort), Old Saxon porta (Middle Low German pōrte), Old High German porta, pforta (Middle High German pforte, pforze, German Pforte), all of which are feminine, whereas the Old English word is masculine. Old Icelandic port (neuter), Norn (Shetland) port (of uncertain gender), Old Swedish portr (masculine; Swedish port), Old Danish port (masculine; Danish port) are probably all ultimately < Old English. Probably attested in a surname from the 13th cent. (Sim. Atteport (1275); compare also de la Port from the mid 13th cent., although this more probably reflects the Anglo-Norman than the Middle English word).

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman port, poort, porte and Middle French port (French port ) bearing, deportment, conduct, manners, demeanour (13th cent. in Old French; 12th cent. in sense ‘right of passage or revenues of a port’), action of carrying (14th cent. in Anglo-Norman) < porter port v.² Compare Italian porto action of carrying or transporting (14th cent. or earlier), Spanish porte action of carrying (15th cent.), Portuguese porte action of carrying or transporting (16th cent.).